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1 Corinthians 9:15-18
The Apostle Paul has given his encouragement and command from God to support those who preach the gospel of Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 9:1-14). In 1 Corinthians 9:15-18 Paul expresses his heart-felt desire and authenticity to preach the gospel – not for a wage, but simply because of his duty and responsibility to Jesus Christ for saving him and entrusting him with this stewardship. Paul then raises the question in 1 Corinthians 9:18 (NKJV), “What is my reward then?” And he quickly and confidently answers this question, “That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.”
This is an example of a true authentic calling from God in one’s life.
When one is called by God to preach the gospel, it is not a job – it is not work – it is a calling that will be rewarded by God in blessings that money or earthly possessions cannot satisfy. It is the work of God’s Holy Spirit leading and guiding the preacher in the way of the Lord.
This ministry that the Lord has given me began as an email ministry to share God’s Word with others and hopefully help us all learn together as the Lord teaches me through His Holy Spirit. The goal is to reach as many people with the good news of the gospel of Christ Jesus as possible. As I watch this ministry grow, the blessings come from seeing more and more people joining in and learning with us about salvation in Jesus and of the ways in which we should grow in our relationship with our Creator God through His One and only Son Jesus who gave His life for the sins of humanity for all who will believe in Him. The blessings come from your comments – which are daily blessings to me – encouragement to me that God is using me in this ministry to touch the lives of others – that’s the blessing – in Christ! I pray dear God that this Bible Study is a blessing to you as well.
Dear LORD,
I once learned a way in which to write a sermon that was guaranteed for success if one would follow a few simple steps. The only other way for success in preaching was to be authentic. Dear LORD, please work in me to be authentic as was the Apostle Paul, that I may follow in his footsteps of following Your lead in my life – in Christ Jesus. Please use me to help others learn more about Your Word and how we may find salvation in and through Christ Jesus and grow every day in our relationships with You as we put You first in our lives and love our neighbor as ourselves as Jesus taught us in Matthew 22:37-40. In Jesus name I pray, amen.